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by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Cabin Retirement [3]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Domestic Fluff, Gen, M/M, The fluffy version of things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-27 20:37:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14433603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: A quiet life, together.





	Home

Will’s laptop sat open, the first page of the psychology paper he was supposed to be writing long since disappeared underneath a screen saver that flashed through pictures of the surrounding mountains. Hannibal had complimented several of them on their “excellent sense of composition,” though Will’s personal favorite was a candid shot of Hannibal after he’d fallen asleep on the couch.

Now, though, they were in the kitchen, the counters ludicrously fine for a cabin of the size they lived in. The knives were of the same quality, though they sliced through only vegetables, tempeh, and the occasional fish caught from the nearby lake. His palette was narrower than it had been, back in Baltimore, but it allowed Will to have complete faith in the art Hannibal created with it.

This morning, Hannibal was showing Will how to make homemade pasta. It was a far less efficient way of doing things, and Will’s inexperience risked imperfection in the final product. Will knew how much it meant that Hannibal didn’t seem to care.

“Like this?” Will asked, carefully pouring the milk into the well he'd made in the center of the flour.

Hannibal’s mouth twitched upward into a small smile. “Yes, exactly.” Then he picked up a single egg, cracking it quickly and cleanly on the edge of the cup before leaning forward and carefully letting the insides fall into the well.

Will leaned a little closer as well, taking advantage of the warmth radiating off the other man, and lifted his head just enough to watch Hannibal’s look of concentration. He smiled a little himself at the sight of it, and had the second egg ready when Hannibal needed it. "Thought you might need this," he said quietly, smiling just a little.

The other man stilled for just a moment, his own flickered smile returning as he carefully took the egg out of Will's hand. "Thank you." They lingered on the exchange, fingers brushing together a little too slowly to not be deliberate, and something warm and strange unfurled in Will's chest. They were both slowly becoming something more than they had been….

The sound of the dogs barking outside chased the rest of the thought away. Both men froze, listening, but there was no sound from their uninvited guest except for a firm knock on the front door. They were far enough from civilization that casual visitors were nonexistent, Abigail was in San Francisco going to school, and there was no one else with good cause to track them down.

Silently, Will moved to pick up the shotgun they kept by the back door, while Hannibal chose the sharpest of his knife collection and held it at ready.

Then the second knock came. “Hannibal? Will?”

Abigail. Weapons lowered as the two men looked at each other, both of them asking the same question with their eyes. Neither of them had an answer, so Will replaced the shotgun while Hannibal went to answer the door.

By the time he turned around again, Hannibal had brought the girl back into the kitchen. She looked mostly well, though Will recognized the dark circles under her eyes from his own nights when sleep seemed like an impossibility. Her smile as she came over for a hug was as bright as always, but there were also signs of strain on her face.

Will wrapped his arms around her, helpless to do anything else. “I thought the semester break wasn’t for a few more weeks.”

Abigail let out a long breath. “Actually, I … don’t know if school’s going to end up working out for me.”

Will met Hannibal’s eyes over the top of the girl’s head. This time, understanding passed between them.

“You’re welcome to stay with us, if you would like,” Hannibal said, his voice offering no sign that he’d sensed any trauma. “An extra pair of hands are always welcome when cutting pasta.”

Abigail lifted her head, looking hopeful. She'd been in their presence only a few moments, and he could already feel the stress starting to ease out of her. “I’ve never made pasta before.”

“Neither have I,” Will offered. “Luckily, you don’t have to be very good at it.”

“You haven’t gone far enough into the process in order to accurately judge your talents,” Hannibal said, that tiny quirk of a smile on his lips. He moved back to the counter, hand brushing lightly over Abigail’s hair as he moved past. “And even if you do prove insufficient to the task, I can always recruit you both as a suitably appreciative audience.”

Will smiled, hooking an arm around Abigail’s shoulders. “That, I think we can manage.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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